Apartment search...

The apartment search has been harrowing, which is not what I expected!  When we came to search for a home last January, we saw about 18 places maybe.. And most of you know the whole ugly, sorted story... Patrick got the flu, I was on my own, he never saw most of them we had to pick - and when we did, proximity won out.  We then found out we had been suckered into all night dog barking, Saturday night fiestas until 3am, and we were 1 VERY UNHAPPY family!  Fast forward, thru the ugly fight to break the lease and here we are, arriving in Mexico City August 17, ready to search again!
Amazingly, the relo company lined up 2days of back-to-back, to back-to-back viewings... And Patrick was of course too busy to see them with me -his "job thing"! Everywhere I went, I saw something I liked, a beautiful kitchen, or big bedroom for the girls to share, but then there would be no outside lawn that was common area for the kids to play or run.. Or no pool, or no gym -total deal breaker for Mr. P90X!  So it was not looking good... Then I came to realize while I was now driving everyday - and I am getting better at Mexican driving, Sarah J! - that if we lived where I wanted, we'd be spending a whole lotta $$ cha-ching on toll roads! It was looking like we would spend, ready for it? $12-18 per day, that's American $$ I am talking, not pesos! To live in the community where I thought I wanted us to be.  So now.... We are back to looking, right around where we are, just trying to distance ourselves from the all night partying dogs! We had found the perfect place... Had my wish list items, a little private garden/lawn -almost impossible to come by - I have good taste! And a balcony too, I had wanted one or the other, this place had both, who wouldn't like that? And... It had a DISHWASHER!  Now, in Mexico, a dishwasher is a maid, not an appliance.  This one had the appliance.  All apartments have big open gaps for  the appliance, this is where you put your garbage can.  Then you hire a maid.  She can live with you, or just visit as many days a week as you like.  But to not have a maid, is to be depriving a person of a job... And as an American coming here and wanting a DISHWASHER appliance, I am getting "the look", you know the one... But really, it's because I am so Eco-friendly, a dishwasher uses less water than hand washing! I can have a maid, I am getting used to the idea... But I am thinking I will hire a maid that is a fabulous cook and one that can help me learn Spanish.  The dishes can go in the dishwasher!
Well, that fabulous apartment was not to be.. It was was more expensive than we were expecting... The landlord asked for more rent than originally said he was willing to rent it for.  Renting here is like buying a house in the USA.  You make an offer, then negotiate it, have a walk through... The landlord can sit on the offer a few days to see if they get a better offer...ugg! So we let that one  go.  Come to find out, it still has not rented.  So today, if we find out that our  latest offer was not accepted, maybe we will go back and low-ball that place again?!?